Hey Uriah, its been a while since we heard from you, are you alright? If so, we need an update!!!
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Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Tuesday 12th to Thursday 14th June 1940
Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Müffling was born on this day in 1775 - one of my favourite books has always been “Aus meinem leben”. During the War of Liberation against Napoleon he was present at dozens of major battles, including the Battle of Waterloo (one of his many books is “Gesischte der Armeen unter Wellington and Blucher”), and he later became Chef des Preußischen Generalstabs. I only mention him because I think many of our generals must have thought the anniversary of his birthday to be an auspicious day to begin a battle. Before the end of the day our forces launched no less than eight separate attacks in Spain and Romania: too many to be just a coincidence.
Freiherr von Müffling: is he popular in the Heer was it simply chance that led to so many battles starting today?
My day began (as do many these days – we have so many research projects on the go) with another collection of files describing the development of improved carriage and sights for our anti-aircraft weaponry. With the failure of the Luftwaffe to protect our soldiers from enemy bombing this could not come at a better time. Authority was attached to transfer the research funding to Großadmiral Raeder’s Projekt Zerstörer: this time to design an improved 12.7cm main gun for the new generation of ships that will replace those that were so quickly eliminated by the Royal Navy.
Then the telegraph and radio messages from the two operational Army headquarters began to arrive.
From Rommel’s Sud-Frankreich Army we heard that Kreß von Kressenstein and 30.Infanterie are once again challenging General Batov and 6/3a División Orgánica, this time for control of Cuenca. The attack began dead on midnight and confidence is high among our troops: they have the measure of the Russian and his seriously weakened unit.
Battle of Cuenca: Spanish efforts to build a defensive line east of Madrid are being disrupted
Also from Spain came the news that the Battle for Salamanca has begun. General Hell chose to start his assault an hour after midnight, and here too there is every indication that the fighting will be brief. Soldiers of 8th Gebirgsjäger Division are pouring into the province and Spanish attempts to hold them back are largely ineffectual, though they have prepared defensive positions.
Battle of Salamanca: supply is flowing freely to the front
At 2AM the next battle began, in Romania. Câmpeni is in the centre of the county and we are aware of several enemy units moving towards Bucuresti that will pass through the province. General Haase has been ordered to block the direct path to the capital and is moving forward to comply. First, however, he must remove Schwab’s Divizie 18 Infanterie. This should not take long: Schwab is fleeing from Friedrich-Willich’s major assault in Huedin and his men are strung out along the roads. They have not even had time to prepare rudimentary defences and the Luftwaffe has inflicted serous casualties, reducing them to just 6600 men. 26.Infanterie, on the other hand, is just below full strength and has been resupplied. Any Romanians heading to Bucuresti will either have to change direction or be prepared to fight their way through.
Battle of Câmpeni
At dawn Antonescu’s Divizie 15 Infanterie started to withdraw from Valea lui Mihai, leaving the province to 2nd Panzer, which proved to be too much for the Romanian infantry. We lost only 29 men, mainly from 46.Infanterie, while the Pz IIIFs and Sturmpanzer IIs of Dietrich’s division inflicted 140 casualties on the enemy before they accepted defeat.
Dietrich’s forward units detected troops moving east in the adjacent province of Marghita, and the Balkan’s Army headquarters responded by ordering 26.Infanterie (mot) north from Oradea. It took General Herzog a little time to get his men into the heavily forested area, but soon he had engaged Divizie 1 Infanterie under General Phleps. (The telegraph from General Guderian’s staff included the interesting fact that Phleps’s family is from Austrian Silesia and he was an Oberstleutnant in the kaiserlich und königlich Armee in the last war. In other circumstances, he may have been a good officer in our own army). As might be expected, the veteran is extremely experienced and while Herzog has the edge in numbers, Phleps has already shown that he believes attack is the best form of defence.
Battle of Marghita
I was at lunch when news of the victory in Salamanca came in. Hell’s Gebirgers simply overwhelmed the Spanish, moving large numbers of men close under cover of darkness and then unleashing a torrent of firepower from close quarters, amplified by the use of the flammenwerfers and explosive charges of 4th Pioniere Regiment. 159 Spaniards were killed in the attack, out of Mena Roig’s 6,000 defenders. It was too much for 11/6a División, which simply abandoned its positions. The majority of our 19 dead were from the Pionieren, who showed great courage in clearing a path for the Gebirgers.
Men of 4th Pioniere Regiment move forward under fire, carrying the vital obstacle clearing charges that allowed the Girbirgers to breach the Spanish makeshift fortifications.
Afternoon saw the attacks continue, led off by Geyr von Schweppenburg’s push into Alba Iulia. 2nd leichte Panzer Division, still with 70% of its Pz IIDs not replaced by Pz 38(t)s, was met by some of the best Romanian troops, Divizie 3 Alpini, part of the Vânători de munte. Nobody doubts the courage or training of the Romanian mountain troops, but they lack the necessary weapons to successfully hold off armour, even the now out-dated tanks of 2nd leichte. On the flat, open plains of Alba Iulia, the skills and training of the Romanians would be no substitute for some decent anti-tank guns. Within hours von Schweppenburg reported resistance was faltering.
Battle of Alba Iulia
While 2nd liechte was not expecting much trouble in Romania, General Ott’s men looked on their attack on Ledesma as a walk in the park. 35 Regimento has been badly beaten several times now, it has no leader and is down to 2,600 men. 3.Infanterie (mot) has lost about 700 men, mainly due to the activities of the FARE, but it is otherwise in good condition and Ott lost just 4 men while reducing his opposition by a further 78 men. It cannot be long before we reach the Portuguese border, and cut off the Spanish north-western provinces.
Battle of Ledesma
With all this concentration on the land battles, I haven’t mentioned the struggle for the air, but of course that too continued. There were the usual clashes over the Channel between patrols of both air-forces, some of which escalated into pitched battles. The Luftwaffe’s fighter losses are still climbing, but not at the rate of last month, and after action debriefings reveal that RAF losses are mounting. An indication of the attrition that is weakening both the RAF and the Luftwaffe could be seen in the forces that took part in the largest conflict of the day: a clash in the Western English Channel at 4PM. Generalleutnant Felmy commanded 4 geschwader, but these could only provide 81, 68, 38 and 93 aircraft each. Air Marshal Bowhill committed three carrier air groups and a coastal command group, supported by a RAF group, which our intelligence reported had air strengths of 80, 100, 91, 78 and 42 respectively. While we are still outnumbered, replacements are arriving in increasing numbers and now nearly 25% of our frontline aircraft are the new Bf 109F Messerschmitts.
Air Battle of Western English Channel: 4PM 12th June
In Spain the Luftwaffe has resumed bombing missions, and the FARE has responded. The Spanish must have stockpiled I-16 and I-16 fighters, or perhaps they have ordered more from the Russians (though if they have they must brave the Italian submarines in the Mediterranean). Wherever the replacement aircraft are coming from, Castaneau’s two fighter groups could use 198 fighters to attack Dörstling’s 6th Kampffliegerkorps as it flew missions over Salamanca. Twice the Spanish intercepted our bombers and while we destroyed 8 “Chatos” and “Ratas” we lost five Junkers 88s and a Messerschmitt Bf 109E (escort geschwader are still waiting for the first Fw 190A replacements to arrive).
Air Battle of Salamanca: 8PM 12th June
With dusk in Berlin now quite late, I had slowly got accustomed to working back, so I was still busy when the last two battles began. I say battles, but one was more like a scuffle. General Bader took 6.Infanterie into Râmnicu Vâlea anticipating a tough fight, as his opponent, General Georgescu, had two divisions with which to defend the hills and small woods that make up the area. One unit was an elite Alpini division, the other a cavalry division. Together they totalled 11,700 men, against Bader’s 10,000 infantry. Bader was fortunate, however, as the Romanians were in transit through the province and were not prepared for the sudden flank attack from Novaci. After only two hours and 14 casualties the Romanians broke and were seen retreating into Câmpulung, away from Bucuresti. Bader had his victory and it cost him just nine men.
Battle of Râmnicu Vâlea
While forcing the Romanians north from Râmnicu Vâlea was important, it could not compare with the significance of General Jodl’s assault on Valencia. Having abandoned Tarragona, we are still lacking an airbase close to the front, and Valencia not only has an important port but also has some small airfields. There is also the added attraction of several major manufacturing plants and mining operations. Unlike Petersen’s 2.Infanterie (mot) which was not specifically instructed to hold Tarragona, 14.Infanterie (mot) has clear orders to occupy the city. Valencia is the base for the Republican 6th Army, and it is the 3,000 men of the headquarters that are defending Spain’s third largest city. Jodl has warned that the street fighting could be costly, as Burillo Sthole has shown that he is determined to hold out, perhaps in the hope that if he can keep our troops at bay for long enough he might receive reinforcements.
Battle of Valencia
I expected a bit less action on Wednesday: surely the commanders of the Balkans and Sud-Fankreich Armies had enough battles to manage without increasing the level of activity? Needless to say I was wrong – that is why I never achieved lofty ranks in the army and had to be content to march everywhere and eat cold food. Three more assaults were launched during the day, although admittedly several battles were successfully completed.
Perhaps I should have been warned by the first file on my desk – it was the other half of the anti-aircraft gun research. Our engineers have adapted the Swiss “Long Solothurn” 20mm cartridge, the most powerful 20mm available, and have at the same time developed a complementary barrel. With the research already completed yesterday, the Waffenamt has announced that the standard anti-aircraft gun for the Heer will be the 20mm Flak 38. How Minister Schacht is going to find the factories to manufacture the replacements will be interesting to see. Perhaps this influenced the Cabinet to divert the research funding away from weapon development into the study of the use of military units on a “Large Front”. They hope this will improve the morale of our 2nd line troops as well as increasing our chance of shocking the enemy with the impact of our assaults.
Design drawing of the 2cm Flak 38: Spain has shown the Heer cannot rely solely on the Luftwaffe for defence, that rapidly advancing troops can outrun their air cover.
For once the news that my brother’s unit was back in action did not concern me. Well, to be accurate, when I studied the notification from Sud-Frankreich headquarters I lost any concern I may have had. 3rd leichte Panzer has been directed to clear 8/4a División Orgánica out Villabilla, but it should find the task easy, and not only because Exea Vilar’s men are outnumbered and out-gunned. While von Manstein’s tanks have a clear run across the plains from Sacédon, Curtze’s 20.Infanterie (mot) will cross the Tagus from Guadalajara. With two divisions totalling just under 19,000 men attacking in a pincer movement, it is hard to see the Spanish (with less than 6,000 troops), holding their ground for long. (Though I was alarmed to see note the efficacy of the Spanish bombing: Curtze has lost more than 1,000 men recently, including more than half his SdKfz 231 (8 Rad) armoured vehicles).
Battle of Villabilla
Simultaneously with von Manstein’s attack, General Nehring has struck into the adjacent province of Priego. Although 1st Panzer will not be supported, its more powerful tanks will allow a rapid advance against an enemy that has no effective anti-tank weaponry. Outnumbering Commandancia de Baleares by two to one should also speed the defeat of General Mije. If all goes to plan, we will soon be able to drive west between the Tagus and the Guadiana Rivers.
Battle of Priego: only two divisions block the roads west, and when these are forced to retreat we will be able to cut off Madrid.
As if to offset this good news, Spanish forces have left Tarragona and are moving west. The province of Cambrils has been lost already and the report that I saw indicated that Candasnos and Monzon are threatened. During the afternoon I heard several officers discussing this growing threat to Rommel’s left flank, but there was no word from Sud-Frankreich Army of any units being diverted to block the Spanish and protect the supply lines.
In fact, Rommel seems to be completely ignoring the growing threat to the rear, as the front continues to move south. The last messages of the afternoon from his headquarters concentrated on the fall of Valencia: Jodl has driven out the last of the 6th Army headquarters troops, killing 77 of Sthole’s men. We now hold the city, including the precious air fields, at a cost of only one man lost. Nehring’s victory in Priego was completely overshadowed by the capture of the Spanish cultural centre, but he has shattered the unfortunate defenders – as predicted, the Spanish were unable to counter massed armour attacks supported by swift moving motorised troops and opposition soon vanished. 1st Panzer listed only 14 men killed or missing and claimed 77 confirmed enemy dead.
The final item for Wednesday was yet another encounter, in Sinarcas. For the first time it sees our Gebirgers matched against their Spanish equivalents, as General Engelbrecht’s 4th Gebirgsjägers clash with 1st Brigada Montaña under Matallana Gómez. To my untutored eye, the map shows that Rommel has had enough of opposed river crossings and has instructed his generals to prevent the formation of a defensive line on the south bank of the Guadina by outflanking it from the east.
Battle of Sinarcas
We also had a rare information sheet from the Luftwaffe’s liaison officer at Rommel’s headquarters: for obvious reasons he has been fairly quiet recently. Curtze’s long suffering 20.Infanterie (mot) has at last received some respite from the incessant bombing it has endured for days. Although it is still weakened by heavy losses, Christiansen has sent 4th Jagdfliegerkorps to Guadalajara. We were able to put 140 aircraft into the battle, against a mixed force of about 380 Allied bombers. Our ground troops were still badly hit, but I suppose they had the consolation of seeing a dozen or so of their persecutors destroyed.
Air Battle of Guadalajara
Over the past month or so I have seen several high-level memos prepared for OKW, all of which contain analysis of the recent fighting in Yugoslavia, Spain and Romania, and the lessons that can be taken and implemented before out attack on Russia. Underlying much of the analysis is the persistent theme that we need to substantially increase the Heer to avoid being bogged down by the Red Army’s superior numbers. At last there is some indication that this is being addressed. General Buhle has assumed command of 21.infanterie (mot) which has joined 4th Panzer division in Wien, giving von Lenski’s 3rd Panzerkorps a welcome increase in power. Less fanfare greeted the creation of 82.Infanterie, a coastal defence division. It has been railed west, joining 1st Küste und Grenze Army in Frankreich. At some stage combat divisions in the west will start to move east, leaving the garrisons and coastal divisions to maintain control.
I had expected a real struggle over the production capacity now available, but the Cabinet discussion was quite short and, on the surface at least, amicable. Nobody objected to Minister Göring’s request for an interceptor geschwader (the first to be formed with Messerschmitt Bf 109F fighters). There was some resistance regarding the call up of another garrison division, but the argument that we needed to release combat troops from guard duty in Spain and Yugoslavia was irrefutable. The final expenditure item was perhaps a concession to the suffering of Dortmund: additional anti-aircraft installations are to be constructed as quickly as possible. (Less this decision be thought purely humanitarian, even here Minister Schacht pointed out that we have lost a large amount of production from Dortmund’s wrecked factories. If we can protect just one or two from bombing the expenditure will be repaid many fold.) The balance of the spare industrial capacity has been retained for replacement equipment, primarily our new fighter program.
Construction of a new Flak-Turm complex for Dortmund has been given the go ahead
Reviewing the huge number of documents that are generated every time we have a production change took most of my morning, though I did notice that the “Battle of the Birgers” (as some humorist has called the battle for Sinarcos) is over, and our troops were clear winners. Engelbrecht lost one man, Gómez 20. Perhaps it wasn’t a fair fight, as 4th Gebirgsjäger had a clear advantage in numbers, but nobody doubts it has boosted the reputation of our mountain specialists. I think it is pretty certain this will translate into funding for more of these elite units for use in the east.
For once the Luftwaffe had good news from the Channel. Klepke had organised to have six geschwader combine for a dawn attack on four carrier air groups under Ludlow-Hewitt, and the Royal Navy lost many aircraft in the dogfights that straggled across the Western English Channel. Despite the gloss that the Luftwaffe put over what was admittedly a brilliant ambush, it was noticeable when looking at the detailed summary that many of our air units were substantially under strength: my rough calculation was that the six geschwader could only muster 462 aircraft (out of a potential 600). The British are also losing planes faster than they can be preplaced: Ludlow-Hewitt’s force began the battle with only 270 planes rather than the 400 that is the normal complement of the aircraft carriers involved.
Air Battle of the Western English Channel: 5AM 14th June
Thursday’s biggest story came far from the Channel: you could detect the excitement underlying the dry facts in General Guderian’s dry communiqué announcing that our soldiers are entering the outskirts of Bucuresti. The Gebirgers are the lead troops again, this time Brand’s 3rd Gebirgsägers. They have a tough fight ahead of them, as they must first cross the Danube at a point where the river is very wide. There are smaller rivers on the way to the capital, but the Danube is the only real obstacle. Once across it will be up to 3rd Pioniere Brigade to blast a way past the defences and into the city. General Brand cannot expect much assistance as the closest unit, 2.ID (mot) “Vorwärts”, is already moving north into Titu, with orders to block reinforcements reaching Stoenescu’s Divizie 10 Infanterie in Bucuresti. Other friendly units are rushing east, but many are already committed to swing north to prevent the Romanians from flooding the city with troops. Von Berendt has been ordered to force march 25.Infanterie to Giurgiu, but he is far to the rear and it will be days before his lead troops reach Brand. At least for now the Gebirgers will be on their own, and they can expect the Romanians to put up a spirited defence of their capital, aided by not only the rivers, but also the heavily built up areas of the city.
Battle of Bucuresti
As the day progressed, news from the Channel deteriorated. At 3PM Felmy was in command of our four patrolling geschwader when he attacked what he no doubt assumed were the same carrier air groups that had been damaged in the dawn attack. Unfortunately he was incorrect, and his 280 fighters discovered that the formation was four full strength CAGs, led by Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell. Casualties were heavy before our aircraft could disengage.
Air Battle of Western English Channel: 3PM 14th June
As night drew closer more melées occurred over the Channel, but these were much smaller affairs. For some reason, after one of the smaller engagements, Klepke felt emboldened to chase Portal all the way to Exeter. At the end of that adventure, “Freki” had been reduced to just 35 aircraft. If Klepke wants to retain his position he had better keep his temper under control. The Reichsluftfahrtministerium is keeping close eye on aircraft losses, and a commander with a record of recklessness could be summoned to Berlin for a personal interview with Minister Göring, who is under a lot of pressure from Minister Schacht over the cost of replacement aircraft. Nobody but me seems to worry about the hundreds of young men like my brother who risk their lives every day.
Air Battle of Exeter: 7PM 14th June
At dusk General Brand messaged that he had some Pioniere detachments across the Danube and that his men would keep crossing during the night. By dawn he should have enough men in the bridgehead to start the push into Bucuresti. I hope he has not lost many of his Pionieren, as he will need every single one if there is heavy street fighting. And he will definitely be on his own: General Ruoff has radioed Balkan Army headquarters that he has identified strong enemy forces moving east through Titu, and will be forced to stop and fight. In his brief report, obviously prepared and transmitted from his command vehicle, Ruoff adds that he intends to break through the enemy infantry and rush to the oil fields of Ploesti, but Guderian’s headquarters has added a prostscript to advise OKH that this is not now likely: more Romanians have been spotted to the north of “Vorwärts”.
Battle of Titu
Somehow General Ruoff has laid his hands on a rare SdKfw 251/6 halftrack to use as his Kommandopanzerwagen. With cipher machines and other communications equipment installed in the vehicle, he can stay in touch with General Guderian back a t the Balkans Army headquarters while leading from the front. (Though here he is letting his motorised troops advance while he supervises!).
Our Embassy in Tokyo has apologised for the delay in sending through a report on the progress of our Japanese allies: a junior officer missed getting the diplomatic bag to the airfield in time for the regular flight. We didn’t miss much, though the supply map of China prepared by the military intelligence staff shows the Imperial Japanese Army has solved much of its logistical problems on the mainland. The only question is whether the breathing space given to the Kuomintang and its Communist and Guangxi allies will allow them to halt the IJA advance. We should know soon, as the senior military attaché in Tokyo advises that a push to (and hopefully across) the Yellow River should start soon.
Supply map of China
Indo-China
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Huedin: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 216, 291, 248, 141
Polovragi: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 215, 294, 211, 165, 298, 325, 270, 105
Valea lui Mihai: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 295
Alesd: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 229, 237, 241, 125
Câmpeni: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 265, 290, 277, 131
Câmpeni: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 189, 315, 278, 172
Huedin: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 213, 255, 218, 121
Alba Iulia: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 258, 273, 251, 147
Polovragi: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88):272, 199, 129
Our bombers inflicted terrible damage on the Romanian infantry strung out across the open country side or channelled into the few roads heading towards Bucuresti. The lack of even simple foxholes cost the enemy many lives.
FARR
Chisineu-Cris: Vasiliu with Grup 1 Tactic Bombardier (1 x TAC): 46, 74, 38
Savârsin: Vasiliu with Grup 1 Tactic Bombardier (1 x TAC): 70, 23
FARE
Zamora: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico (2 x TAC): 89, 135
RAF
Medina del Campo: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical Groups (2 x TAC): 285
Medina del Campo: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical and Middle East Groups (3 x TAC): 295, 212
Sacédon: Baldwin with Middle East Group (1 x TAC): 113
Guadalajara: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical and Middle East Groups (3 x TAC): 226, 290
Combined Anglo-Spanish Missions
Zamora: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 16th and 17th CAG, 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 126
Guadalajara: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical Groups, 1er and 20 Grupo Táctico: 236, 131
Guadalajara: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical and Middle East Groups, 1er and 20 Grupo Táctico: 114
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Agadir Canyon: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Tobruk: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
East Azores Fracture Zone: 2 transports (UK): Dover – Berbera: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
East Madeira Plain: 1 transport (Greek): Athina – Halifax: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
East Azores Fracture Zone: 3 transports and 1 escort (UK): Dover El Iskandarîya: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Western English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Singapore – Dover: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Horsheshoe Seamount: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Freetown: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Coast of Porto: 1 transport and 1 escort (UK): Dover – Aden: Aßman with 1st U-flotte
Increasing numbers of convoy escorts are of some concern, though our U-boats seem to be invulnerable (or at least undetectable).
Unternehemen Stierkampf at end of 14th June: the speed of the advance has slowed, hopefully just to allow our men a chance to regroup before laying siege to Madrid.
Unternhemen Bohrturm at end of 14th June
It does not make much sense having mobile troops sitting at the Madrid-front, while infantry is at the flanks...
Thanks NERFGEN: though I am not sure that I like to be seen as a purveyor of pseudo porn!
As for the suicidal Luftwaffe: at the very beginning of this AAR I said I would let the AI do its work. And the AI is apparently very aggressive with aircraft missions. I have told it to be defensive, I have nominated only my own ports etc as objectives, but it insists on attacking enemy airfields and ports, despite the heavy losses this entails.
Perhaps this is a good place to explain why I am not interfering: I hate wargames that let you be an omnicient, all-powerful deity. In reality things go wrong, subordinates stuff up, orders go missing or are misinterpreted, people have emotions that impact decision making etc etc. So I feel that when a few things don't go as planned, that brings at least some measure of uncertainty into the game. I quite like the feeling that my airforce sometimes has a mind of its own, that my divisions do not blindly target the schwerpunkt I have identified. It make it just a little bit more accurate a simulation.
This is why I haven't maximised my divisions: I know that I could have combined arms benefits on every division, but no General Staff ever had the infallible power to design the best combat unit possible. Similarly, to win I would never build the Kriegsmarine. But I like to make things a litttle difficult for myself, not willfully, but just to simulate (to a slght degree) the way things were.
They are better off than 20.Infanterie, sitting in Guadlajara getting bombed four times a day for week!
Although I've been following your AAR for a while now, this is my first comment in this forum. I just couldn't resist the urge to tell you that you are doing a great job and providing us all with super entertainment (as far as commentaries on historical military strategy games can go
Thanks BigFred - sorry for the delay in transmission but I hope to keep you entertained for some time (at the rate I'm going HOI4 will be out befoe I land in the USA. On the other hand, this time in 1941 the Red Army could be at the gate3s of Berlin.
Yes, the AI has drawn troops from the north and is attempting to not only build a line, but also to stop me getting a head start to Ploesti.
Some way to go. Spanish National Unity is still 96.2 and I have only 36.9% of the Victory provinces so 38.3 % of the way there. On the other hand, as I have mentioned before, their leadership is now nil so they are startig to collapse quicker: they can replace thier infantry losses but not the officers. So I hope to speed things up.
Pardon my spelling of victory-I should read over my responce first!
Hopefully you will not have to face a entrenched Romanian force in front of the captial. Why is Romania sending troops to the Hunagrian border? Perhaps a last stand in Cluj-Napoca...
I haven't noticed Romanians moving west, other than retreating units and reinforcements for existing battles. As you can see from this current update I am attacking the capital now: just a matter of if I can take it before any reinforcements can loop around my line.
Thanks Pudd1nator: don't hesistate to repeat praise - I won't object
. I am trying hard to buidl more land units but there are many conflciting demands. By the end of July though I will have several new divisions being built, and in August I get a swag of IC released and the real build program starts.If I can I will start another NAV towards the end of the year, but Russia gets priortiy and that means tanks and rifles, plus a few more fighters and bombers. And upgrades - now getting really expensive, but essential to keep Manpower losses down.
How kind of you not to mention a third option: incredibly bad play!
I think Semper Fi did beef up the Spanish, particularly the FARE. Having said that, I should have had a few spare airbases to drop as I advanced. (I will for Russia!)
Spain still has 177 MP left, so they can kjeep replacing losses for while yet. Now I have a dforward airbase I hope the Luftwaffe can start to thin them out: the loss of leadership makes battles quick but they still take time.
That's true SSJGohan. I hav egot them down a few percent, but I think that is mainly from sinking convoys. I haven't tried to use my spies - I only have three and will not waste leadership on them. I want to get my army near Gibraltar so taking all the victory provinces is not a real problem.
Sorry - I don't know if I have mentioned but not only am a non-drinking Australian, but I am also one of the few to follow MLB with a passion. And as at least half of you know, it is finals time. So in the past week my TV hard-drive has been working overtime as I have had to record and watch all 12 games of the ALCS and NLCS. And even though Boston wasn't playing I still watch every pitch - so that is 40+ hours of time taken up. Now a few days' break until the World Series starts, and that is only one game a day with breaks. (When I was in the USA two years ago, in seven weeks I saw about 20 baseball games in 15 different ballparks - and I was with my wife!)
So you have to excuse me. It won't happen again (until next year).
For once someone has beaten Karaiskandar!
But no, the AI shows a weakness in selecting appropriate units for particular jobs. I think it will not attack Madrid unitl it has what it considers a sufficient force - so the existing units just sit there until either more units arrive or I can weaken the defenders. It wopn't move the units, but neither will it attack. I will give it a bit more time though before changing orders or manually shuffling units. I think that when the north west is wiped out the drive south will begin in earnest. Did you notice in "Stierkampf" screenshot that the two new reinforcement divisions have been sent to the norht-west? That is Rommel, not me. I had sent them to the Madrid area, but the AI changed the orders once I attached them to the Sud-Frankreich Army. Generals, they have minds of their own.
Exactly, I can't say it better myself.
No overview of the North African situation this time, too bad.
Thanks NERFGEN: though I am not sure that I like to be seen as a purveyor of pseudo porn!
As for the suicidal Luftwaffe: at the very beginning of this AAR I said I would let the AI do its work. And the AI is apparently very aggressive with aircraft missions. I have told it to be defensive, I have nominated only my own ports etc as objectives, but it insists on attacking enemy airfields and ports, despite the heavy losses this entails.
Perhaps this is a good place to explain why I am not interfering: I hate wargames that let you be an omnicient, all-powerful deity. In reality things go wrong, subordinates stuff up, orders go missing or are misinterpreted, people have emotions that impact decision making etc etc. So I feel that when a few things don't go as planned, that brings at least some measure of uncertainty into the game. I quite like the feeling that my airforce sometimes has a mind of its own, that my divisions do not blindly target the schwerpunkt I have identified. It make it just a little bit more accurate a simulation.
This is why I haven't maximised my divisions: I know that I could have combined arms benefits on every division, but no General Staff ever had the infallible power to design the best combat unit possible. Similarly, to win I would never build the Kriegsmarine. But I like to make things a litttle difficult for myself, not willfully, but just to simulate (to a slght degree) the way things were.
Wow. it certainly didn't think about you being a pseudo porn (or whatever) provider
. It's my devious mind at work here As much as I agree about generals having minds of their own I'm pretty sure that in Germany, at that time, they had a little fear at the back of their head. Fear that a little moustached person would interfere with the normal count of their heartbeats if they didn't do as instructed.
I appreciate my generals for their traits but I am unable to let myself give them any control over the broader picture. Which unfortunately turns into a micromanagement hell in my games. Especially in the middle of the russian mires where I constantly have to reattach corps to armies becasue they start on a drive to Moscow and somehow get deviated towards the caucasus, or the black sea or wherever I need them more.
As a side note i might suggest (so as not to break too much your rule of non interference) an official order from Minister Goering to ground all aircraft over France until losses have been replaced? For one I'm sure that if an official order came to redeploy a KG further inland this would not be lost or misinterpreted... after all pilots liked to live
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Friday 15th to Sunday 17th June 1940
Somebody high in OKH does not see our looming conflict with the USSR as being plain sailing, with columns of tanks driving at full speed across the empty steppes, chasing a Red Army rabble still recovering from the Great Purges. Intensive study has been given to the tactics and strategy of using delay when attacked by overwhelming force, and the ability of headquarter troops to defend themselves in the event of an enemy attack. Personally I think a little prudent consideration of potential disaster always pays off. Although there was strong support for a continuation of this line of research (we could learn a lot from the Spanish about delaying tactics!) the Reichsmarschall’s demand for the development of fighter targeting techniques prevailed.
A Hawker Hurricane that crashed on the French coast: it will be railed to Berlin to for our analysts whose objective will be to develop tactics to allow our interceptors to target enemy fighters and escorts.
It would seem that this precautionary approach is not limited to research projects: two newly formed infantry regiments have been assigned as headquarters protection to 1st Marine-Sturmkorps (Nordsee Army) and XIV Armeekorps (Polen Army). The commanders of these units must believe there is a good chance they could be exposed to counter-attack at some time in the future.
But such gloomy events, even if they ever occur, are a long time off. At the present, the news is good. Our repair crews have quickly fixed the last minute sabotage of the Valencia runways, and Löhr has already based 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps at its new base. The first mission for “Schwerz” and “Hammer” was to hit 8/4a División Orgánica at Villabilla. The sight of Stukas appearing over the battlefield was obviously the last straw for Exea Vilar: he conceded the victory to von Manstein and pulled back to Tarancón. His men fought well, but he had real chance of success against the light tanks of “Angriff” and the motorised troops of 20.Infanterie. 461 Spanish and 52 German soldiers were killed in the two days the battle lasted, an indication of the ferocity of the fighting.
Despite my brother’s disbelief, the Pzkpfw 38(t) is in full production. “Angriff” is a high priority for replacement tanks, and soon he will get a shiny new panzer similar to this one, fresh from the factory.
There was also a victory claim from Romania, but while Ruoff’s initial report emphasised that General Leovanu had broken off the engagement in Titu, the staff at Guderian’s Balkans Army headquarters pointed out that Divizie 7 Infanterie was actually retreating into Bucuresti. As Ruoff’s assignment had been to prevent the reinforcement of the capital, it seems a bit presumptuous of him to claim victory. Nevertheless, 2.ID (mot) “Vorwarts” was on the road again, moving north west. It wasn’t long before the Balkans Army had another radio update: Ruoff has run into another Romanian division heading east, and has been forced to halt again. If Ruoff allows this unit to escape into the city as well he had best not boast of another win: there is a limit to Guderian’s patience with divisional commanders.
Second Battle of Titu
Geyr von Schweppenburg was far more justified in his announcement that he had won the Battle of Alba Iulia. His opponent, General Leventi, was taking his defeated Divizie 3 Infanterie north, into Aiud, away from Bucuresti and Ploesti. Despite the lack of effective anti-tank weapons, the Romanians inflicted 124 casualties on 2nd leichte, presumably by waiting for the unarmoured motorised regiments to close for combat. Allowing the armour to range freely came at a cost, however, with no less than 727 dead Romanians found on the field.
A brief note from Spain ended the day: the provincial governor appointed to Candasnos had sent a brief message to Sud-Frankreich Army headquarters. He announced his resignation from the post, primarily due to the presence of Republican Army tanks just outside his office. Rommel’s administrative staff had added a note that if the governor was lucky, he will have made it north east into the forests of Monzon. If he was unlucky, we have heard the last of him.
Sufficient reason for our governor to abandon his post: a column of Republican Union Naval de Levante UNL-35 armoured cars in the main square of Candasnos
Having taken Candasnos unopposed, Spanish armour moves north
It is now unofficially compulsory to work all day Saturday in Berlin. Nothing is ever said, but you just know that an empty desk or office will be noted by one of Goebbel’s many informants, and a slip of paper will be added to a file somewhere in the Ministry of Security. Luckily for me I enjoy the atmosphere at the Reichskanzlei, the feeling that you are at the centre of activity of the whole state, and I am used to working Saturdays.
Our engineers must be working seven days a week though, as they are continually coming up with improvements and breakthroughs for our armed forces. Today it was an innovative engine for our light tanks. Considering Heinz is still waiting for his PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf.A, it will be some time before he gets the new PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf.G. Regardless of waiting time, it is reassuring to know that with some luck he will have a decent amount of armour in front of him when 3rd leichte Panzer leaves Spain and heads east. There are still rumours of Russian “super-tanks” floating around the Kanzlei, but I normally pay them little attention. Perhaps I should have had a bit more interst, because the transfer documentation for the tank engineers referred to a “schwere Panzer Projekt” that had been started “in response to information received regarding improved armoured vehicle designs developed for the Red Army by Mikhail Koshkin at the Kharkiv Komintern Locomotive Plant”. (I wonder how many Reichsmarks that little piece of information cost!) The first stage of this project is the development of a large gun for the new panzers, a 7.5cm monster, the KwK 40 L/43. If the Heer thinks that we need weapons like these to destroy the Russian tanks, then maybe Heinz will need every millimetre of steel he can find.
Our latest light tank: the PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf G, provided with 50mm front armour. It will be some time before all the leichte panzer regiments receive these: most are still using Panzer IIs.
Battle of Ávila
General Ruoff should thank Köstring’s 13.Infanterie (mot). Having secured Râmnicu Vâlcea, they are driving due north, straight into the path of three units that were crossing Câmpulung on their way to Ploesti. General Köstring has been instructed to ensure they never make it, which will make the task of 1.ID (mot) “Vorwärts” much easier. General Sanatescu has elements of the headquarters detachment of 2nd Army, but his main force comprises Divizie 1 Infanterie Alpinisti and Divizie 1 Cavalerie. Altogether he has 14,500 men with which to repel the 10,000 men of 13.Infanterie (mot), but nobody thinks he has a chance. Morale in the Romanian Army is plummeting and Köstring promises that if the Luftwaffe can provide their customary saturation bombing the fighting will be soon over.
Battle of Câmpulung
General Rommel may have wanted Ávila within days, but Blaskowitz delivered the province within hours. Even though the RAF bombed our troops in Arévelo as they moved up to the battle, causing nearly 500 casualties, 29.Infanterie (mot) showed Kléber what they thought of his decision to fight for the enemy. Given that Kléber had such a large force, this rapid victory appeared miraculous, but reading through the detailed report from Rommel’s staff officer I discovered a fact that Blaskowitz did not give much prominence. As 29.Infanterie (mot) locked the bulk of Kléber’s force in combat, Keppler’s 1st leichte Panzer launched a flank attack from Segovia. Taken completely by surprise and with his whole force already committed, Kléber could do nothing but order a retreat. They didn’t teach him how to handle that at the Frunze Military Academy!
As if to offset the gains near Madrid, we have lost another province near Tarragona: Barbastro. Still there is no indication from Rommel of any redeployment to meet the threat. Even the two infantry divisions to the north are immobile. But perhaps his analysis of the situation was better than that of everyone else: late in the afternoon we had incontrovertible evidence that the Spanish tanks and other vehicles have halted their advance and are now returning south.
A photograph depressingly familiar to that from Candasnos, smuggled to Rommel’s headquarters by a Nationalist sympathiser: Russian built T-26 light tanks cross the main plaza of Barbastro.
Having taken Barbastro, the Spanish have turned south: was Rommel’s “do nothing” policy right after all? Surely the presence of the 4,000 men of X Armeekorps headquarters and its attached anti-aircraft regiment in Zaragosa was not a deterrent to the Spanish armour?
Guderian, on the other hand, is constantly messaging Berlin with updates from Romania. This time it was the Bitburgers, barely 2 days after their decisive win in Polovragi, continuing to frustrate the efforts of the Romanian High Command to move their forces east. The glorious summer weather will make the push north into to the mountains of Sibiu less daunting, although it will give the defending Divizie 19 Infanterie the opportunity to hold their ground. But of course that is what General Bieß wants: if the Romanian General Codreanu orders his men to stop moving and to dig in then they are effectively ruling out any attempt to reinforc e Bucuresti.
Battle of Sibiu
There had been some talk during the week that General Guderian would arrange to capture Bucuresti on Sunday : 17th June is his birthday. I was sure it was nothing but a rumour, but I suppose my curiosity got the better of me. Gisela and I spent much of the day at Museeinsel , with a picnic lunch on the banks of the Spree. (I wish they hadn’t paved the whole of the Lustgarten back in 1934. We have plenty of parade grounds, but beautiful parks are getting rare, and I always enjoyed sitting on a bench in the Lustgarten, feeding the pigeons. Though I didn’t mind them getting rid of the statue of Kaiser Friedrich Wilhem III of Prussia. Why raise a statue to the man who led Prussia to defeat at the hands of the French?). But I digress. My point was that Gisela was in a good mood and when I pointed out that we were not too far from the Reichskanzlei (well, a tram ride along the Unter den Linden and then a brisk stroll for a few blocks down Wilhelmstraße) she didn’t protest too much.
Wilhelmstraße on a sunny Sunday afternoon: a pleasant walk for a respectable Reichskanzlei clerk and his secretary
The rumour was just that: there was nothing about the fall of Bucuresti. There had, however, been some documents delivered to my office and I had a quick look through them while Gisela chatted to the secretarial staff on duty.
Work on the innovative light tank engine that I saw yesterday could be applied to a larger engine suitable for our medium panzers, and today that project was also completed. There must be chaos in the factories as whole production lines are retooled. (I forgot: Minister Schacht would not tolerate chaos. The man is an organisational machine and an administrative genius. I have friends in the Ministry for Armaments who swear he does not sleep. He works incessantly and is on top of every individual assignment, and no-one dares submit a proposal that is not checked and rechecked. With his fellow Ministers continually looking for a weakness they can exploit and turn to their own advantage he has managed to stay above the political infighting that characterises most Cabinet discussions). No surprise that the “schwere Panzer Projekt” was the beneficiary of the released funds – work began today on heavy tank armour designs.
A sight to make even Hjalmar Schacht smile: the efficient production of munitions
Early in the day Friedrich-Willich won the Battleo of Huedin. The Luftwaffe rotated bombers over the province day and night for 6 days but the Romanians held on grimly, inflicting 351 casualties on 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division. Only a flank attack from von Bock in Alesd forced the Romanians to cut their losses: with 843 men dead further resistance could no longer be justified. In fact, they did well to fight as long as they did: General Schwab, who had originally commanded the province, had pulled Divizie 18 Infanterie out of the battle after only a day, leaving the other two divisions to hold off the Gebirgers. (Unfortunately for Schwab, he only made it to Câmpeni before he was stopped by General Haase.)
An apologetic message from General Blaskowitz to Sud-Frankreich Army headquarters: Ávila was not quite as secure as he had originally supposed. Kléber may have pulled out with his infantry, but he left a cavalry division behind to disrupt our advance. Blaskowitz assured Rommel that he had the matter under control and that 3/1a División de Cabelleros would soon be chasing after Kléber, but it didn’t look good for him, particularly as there is a feeling here in Berlin that his lack of acknowledgement of General Keppler’s assistance did not reflect well on him. As I flipped through the memos and message slips I saw that only hours later 29.Infanterie (mot) reported that the enemy cavalry had been routed, with 24 Spanish killed in a heavy clash that saw the horsemen riding south at full speed. So Blaskowitz can relax a little: it only cost him four men to recover his reputation.
Second Battle of Ávila
The other two victories I saw in the small pile were much more important (and costly). General Phleps commanded his men with all the skill one could expect from a veteran of the last war, but he was finally overcome by Herzog’s motorised infantry. I can just imagine the heavy fighting along the narrow forest roads of Marghita, where every bend could hide an ambush, and every rustle in the undergrowth could be the precursor to a torrent of machine gun fire. Both sides lost many men (casualties were listed as 333 German to 778 Romanians) and at last it was Phelps who could take no more. With nearly 10% of his 8,000 men dead, he has no choice by to attempt to flee over the plains of Tasnad. The other win was against the unlucky General Schwab and Divizie 18 Infanterie in Câmpeni. Having extricated his men from Huedin, Schwab continued southeast but 26.Infanterie was already moving to block the roads. With Kitzinger’s Ju 88s pouring bombs from the sky, the Romanian infantry had no chance. Strung along the roads in long columns, their every move known to General Haase, hundreds of Romanians were killed. Even the arrival of Divizie 5 Infanterie could not stave off defeat, and total enemy losses were put at 824. It was still not easy for 26.Infanterie, as they were greatly outnumbered and are supported by anti-aircraft guns rather than artillery. 303 of our men were killed, principally the more lightly armed lead units whose job it was to pin the enemy until the heavy equipment could be brought up from the rear. (I heard later that General Guderian personally contacted General Haase to thank him for the sacrifice his men made to prevent the Romanians breaking out to the southeast.)
Ju 88 bombers of KG 2 “Holzhammer”, 3rd Kampffliegerkorps roll down the runway at Beograd, on their way to Câmpeni
And then a sense of déjà vu: another apologetic radio transcript. This one was from Friedrich-Willich in Huedin. Although it was true that the Romanians had broken, it was only Divizie 14 Infanterie that had fled. General Glimnitz and Divizie 2 Infanterie Alpinisti are made of sterner stuff. They have just pulled back further into the hills and are still fighting. Not for nothing are they called the “Vânători de munte”.
Second Battle of Huedin: another “Battle of the Birgers”
There was one further note, pinned to a pile of air combat reports from the Channel. Over the past few days there have been at least 6 melées as Royal Navy carrier air groups try to clear our fighters from the path of the British fleets that move in and out of Portsmouth, Plymouth and Dover. Losses have been relatively light (about 10 aircraft) but what has attracted attention from our air commanders is that in three days not one enemy plane has been confirmed destroyed. It is as though the British carrier aircraft are indestructible! Reichsmarschall Göring has asked to be kept informed and our agents in the United Kingdom are to keep a watch for any information that may explain the British superiority in the air. Of course, the problem may disappear as the new Messerschmitt Bf 109F becomes our standard fighter.
Our hope for victory over the RAF: Messerschmitt Bf 109F aircraft about to be ferried to front line units in France
The last documents on my desk were copies of the military reports from Rome: summaries prepared by our military attaché. The Italians are not over generous with information, but it seems there has been a battle in Libia, but with both sides retreating! The commentary from our attaché suggests that while the Italians inflicted heavy losses on some British units, their own casualties were so severe that they were forced to abandon Surt to the surviving British divisions.
Libia at end of 17th June
The situation in Greece is much clearer. Salonika has been abandoned by the Greeks, who are pulling back all along the line. Although greatly outnumbered, they are still fighting, and we understand that the Italian supply difficulties still exist and may become worse as they advance further along the narrow mountain passes. The good news is that there is no sign of allied reinforcements: the British and their Commonwealth allies must be fully occupied in East Africa and Libya.
Greece at end of 17th June
That was all the time I had, I could hear a foot tapping in the corridor. Best not to push my luck. Tomorrow is the start of a new week, and I think Guderian will get a belated birthday present in the next few days.
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Alba Iulia: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 146, 145, 150
Bucuresti: Grauert with 3rd and 4th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 284, 290, 312, 163
Titu: Schwarzkopff with 2nd and 5th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 280
Villabilla: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 142
Câmpeni: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 170, 244, 285, 113
Titu: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 186, 285, 194, 99, 165, 214, 295, 159
Huedin: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 206, 232, 232, 126
Bucuresti: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 227, 309, 170, 116
Alesd: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 128
Câmpeni: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 150, 124, 183
Bucuresti: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 246, 302, 258, 225
Sibiu: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 245, 217, 233, 127
Câmpulung: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 210, 286, 258, 103
RAF
Sacédon: Baldwin with Middle East Groups (1 x TAC): 59, 85, 68
Guadalajara: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical Groups (2 x TAC): 153, 171, 195
Arévalo: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical Groups (2 x TAC): 185
Arévalo: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical and Middle East Groups (3 x TAC): 283, 211
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Cape St Vincent: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wold with 4th U-flotte
Eastern Charcot Seamount: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Banjul: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Cape Finisterre: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Colombo: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Northern Bay of Biscay: 1 transport and 2 escorts (UK): Bombay – Dover: Dönitz with 2nd U-flotte
South East Fracture Zone: 1 transport (Canadian): Halifax – Cádiz: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Iberain Plain: 1 transport and 1 escort (UK): El Iskandarîya – Dover: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Goban Spur: 2 transports (UK): Bombay – Dover: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
East Biscay Plain: 1 transport (UK): Portsmouth – Benghazi: Dönitz with 2nd U-flotte
East Azores: 1 transport (UK): Singapore – Dover : Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Unternehmen Stierkampf at end of 17th June
Unternehmen Bohrturm at end of 17th June
Thanks BoemsiBoemsie: with the break in Baseball I have managed to play ahead a week or so and get another update in. May be a few days for another though.
Thanks Karaiskandar. I decided to alternate Italy - Japan. The updates are getting v.long and not a lot happening (or at least not a lot I can see).
Wow. it certainly didn't think about you being a pseudo porn (or whatever) provider
As much as I agree about generals having minds of their own I'm pretty sure that in Germany, at that time, they had a little fear at the back of their head. Fear that a little moustached person would interfere with the normal count of their heartbeats if they didn't do as instructed.
I appreciate my generals for their traits but I am unable to let myself give them any control over the broader picture. Which unfortunately turns into a micromanagement hell in my games. Especially in the middle of the russian mires where I constantly have to reattach corps to armies becasue they start on a drive to Moscow and somehow get deviated towards the caucasus, or the black sea or wherever I need them more.
As a side note i might suggest (so as not to break too much your rule of non interference) an official order from Minister Goering to ground all aircraft over France until losses have been replaced? For one I'm sure that if an official order came to redeploy a KG further inland this would not be lost or misinterpreted... after all pilots liked to live
I don't know if you noticed but I have rotated a few units to Berlin and Hamburg for R&R. I haven't for a while as I have noticed that by keeping the RAF and RN fighting in the Channel it has reduced the CAG attacks in Spain. While I don't lose many troops to CAG bombing, they do sap org away. But with another airbase in Sapin I may withdraw some units to allow them to upgrade in peace.
The level of detail in this AAR is simply amazing, the latest update was for 3 days and could be an entire chapter in a novel - I just love it! You writing technique is awesome and your use of pictures is probably one of the best I've seen. I can't say it enough - this is one of, if not the best AAR I've ever read.
Truly this is the quintiessential german aar for hoi 3.
Awesome pics.great detail too.
Where did u download those pics from?For my aar i tried mostly bundesarchiv and ww2 in colour sites other than google image search.I just love these pics.
Also could u post a link for downloading these new counters?
Thank u,enjoying this as everyone else.
Awesome pics.great detail too.
Where did u download those pics from?For my aar i tried mostly bundesarchiv and ww2 in colour sites other than google image search.I just love these pics.
Also could u post a link for downloading these new counters?
Thank u,enjoying this as everyone else.
OOPs :slapself: i missed that one.
And another great update. I must say I am eagerly waiting for them now ... WIth my morning coffee and croissant in the office. Better than the morning news!
Romania seems to be quite done in. Hopefully Spain will follow suit. Will you keep both or create a puppet? or 2?
Still enjoying those historical pictures enourmously.
Gohan3972: If you keep saying such nice things you must write more often.
Seriously though, thank you. It takes a lot of work to prepare just one update and it is good to know it is enjoyed. I often think "too much detail!" but that is the way I like to write about the game: putting in the bits people overlook.Thanks AUSTERLITZ. See above re compliments gratefully received.
The pictures: well, I have a lot of books and magazines of my own, and I spend a lot of time surfing the web looking for just the right photograph. And, I will admit, sometimes I find a photo I really like so I fit it into the narrative. So no special place really.
The counters are Hr.Cyber's Landicons for ICE (I think that is what it is called)
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum....-SUB-MODS&p=11013151&viewfull=1#post11013151
In case you are interested, I also use filefool's Major Nations Immersion Pack
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...sion-Pack!&p=10466608&viewfull=1#post10466608
And of course I use Modestus' Retextured Map mod
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...tured-map.&p=10118644&viewfull=1#post10118644
Hope this helps.
As I always stress - none of these affect game play: they all alter graphics only. (Well, Major Natiosn also changes model names etc, but you get thepoint).
Thanks NERFGEN - I liked writing that one for some reason and it seems some people liked it too. I am glad people like the level of detail - I always worry people will say "When are we going to get tot Barbarossa?" We'll get here, it will just take a while.
I may puppet Spain (if it surrenders - nobody else will!) but not Romania. Puppets still create supply/conquest problems.
PS From your flag your are in Italy: do Italians have croissants? (Forgive my ignorance - Australians are not cosmopolitan like Europeans!) Or are you just across the French border and the croissant plague has spread?
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Exhaustive writing Uriah, if you start writing much more the war will go in real time tempo 3 days per 3 day report!!! keep up the good work.
3 days per 3 day report!!! keep up the good work.
Seems our friend does not like the Kaiser very much.
Excellent update. Is the A.I moving any troops to Barcelona?
Excellent update. Is the A.I moving any troops to Barcelona?
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Monday 18th to Thursday 21st June 1940
The “schwere Panzer Projekt” is building up: with the completion of reliability trials for the PzKpfw 38(t) AusF.G all available technical staff have been assigned to work on an engine powerful enough for the far heavier Panzers we intend to build. Tentatively titled the “Maybach HL 174”, the new engine will be a petrol powered V12 capable of delivering 550 horsepower!
Less encouraging was an administrative breakdown in the Heer. A certain Major Baltasar has pointed out that we have two different units known as 2.Infanterie (mot). One of these is the famous 2.ID (mot) “Vorwärts”, the other General Petersen’s division, probably best known for capturing Tarragona and then abandoning it to be re-occupied by the Spanish. In a perfect world the Major would be congratulated for his attention to detail, but I noticed a few days later that he has lost his comfortable administrative position and has been transferred to Spain to join Petersen’s division. His job will be to ensure that all its equipment and stationery are altered to carry the new title “22.Infanterie (mot)”. There is no justice.
All the indications are that General Guderian scents victory. The Romanians are under huge pressure as they strive to both form a defensive line and rush reinforcements to the east to garrison the capital and the oil fields. The decision to bring forward the launch day of Unternehmen Bohrturm has been vindicated. To keep the Romanians off balance, Guderian has ordered three more attacks, all to start just before dawn.
General von Roques commands the most westerly of all our forces, 46.Infanterie Division, and now he is breaking east from Vâlea lui Mihai into Tasnad, pursuing Divizie 15 Infanterie. Antonescu has received some replacement troops since his defeat at the hands of von Roques on the 12th June, but there is no indication he will be able to hold out longer than the 24 hours his men lasted back then.
Battle of Tasnad
It will be a miracle if Dragalina can persuade his men to fight 24 hours for Zalau. His only troops are the badly shaken headquarters units of Corp 3 Armata, or what was left of them after von Bock forced them from Alesd. With barely 2,400 men, low on supplies and morale nearly non-existent, the best the Romanians could put up was a token resistance. (It was not even that – General Herzog, who had orders to clear Zalau, reported success that afternoon, with no casualties to 36.Infanterie but 107 dead or captured Romanians).
Battle of Zalau
2nd Panzer has the hardest job, attacking the intact Divizie 6 Infanterie which is still in position on the Hungarian border, in Carei. Guderian must want to make absolutely clear to the Romanians that there is no hope of reinforcements reaching the east: that there are no units uncommitted to fighting for their own survival. While a laudable objective, it will be dangerous for General Dietrich to negotiate his tanks through the forested border areas.
Battle of Carei
There was some welcome news for General Rommel, whose campaign in Spain is looking decidedly slow compared to Guderian’s drive into Romania. The recently created 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps, led by Generalleutnant Hoffman von Waldau, has been assigned to Sud-Frankreich Army and is leaving its assembly areas near München this morning, bound for Valencia. It is hoped that the availability of additional short range bombers will help weaken the unexpectedly strong Spanish resistance.
The rest of the day could be summarised as “Romanian Army Collapses”. After Herzog’s automatic win in Zalau, Köstring claimed victory in Câmpulung. General Sanatescu’s force had been boosted from his original two divisions to more than 25,000 men, but 13.Infanterie not only defeated them unaided (killing 440 of the enemy in the process), but did it in just two days! As if to make its performance even more impressive, it did it a cost of just 117 men. Von Roques’s defeat of Antonescu in Tasnad was no surprise, though it must have been a harder fight than expected, as he lost 57 men, to the Romanian’s 128. (He did report that another Romanian infantry division had arrived while he was dealing with Divizie 15, and that he had dealt with that too).
Overnight there was short break in the list of victories, just long enough for Guderian to advise OKH that General Haase has again taken 26.Infanterie into combat. His opponent this time is a bit easier than his last fight against General Schwab and Divizie 18. Cluj is held by General Iacobici and the Corps Alpinisti, but while the Romanian Alpinisti are the best troops we have encountered so far in this campaign, these are headquarters support staff, and there are only 3,000 of them.
Battle of Cluj
(There was also a mysterious communiqué from von Ribbentrop to the Cabinet. Our diplomats in Istanbul are positive that Turkey’s interests are so closely aligned to our own that we could ask them to join the Axis. The Embassy says, however, that it is not worth inviting them as they will not do so: probably because the Turkish President, Ismet Inönü, sees the Reich as too much of a threat and his desire to remain neutral is too strong).
Then back to the victory parade. First on Tuesday was the capture of Titu, after Ruoff’s second battle for the province. Divizie 13 lost 662 men in its valiant if ultimately wasteful attempt to hold back “Vorwärts”. It was another tough fight for Ruoff’s men, as their 164 casualties showed, but the western access to Bucuresti is now denied, and the road to Ploesti is open.
Soldiers of Divizie 13 fire a 60mm Stokes Brandt M1935 mortar during the battle for Titu.
Was the fall of Titu the trigger for General Stoenescu? Who knows, but the fact that the any hope of rescue has been removed probably made the decision to abandon Bucuresti easier. Guderian’s radio message was clear: he cannot see the Romanian government lasting more than a few days now that they have been forced to flee the capital. Our analysts and tactical experts are poring over General Brand’s reports regarding the difficulties of river crossings in heavily built up areas and the subsequent street fighting. Despite our skill and technical advantages (including a Pioniere Brigade with our most advanced bridging and breaching equipment), casualties on both sides were about equal: 311 from 3rd Gebirgsjäger compared to 344 from Divizie 10 Infanterie. There are lessons to be learned before we carry out such an assault again, particularly where the opposition is stronger and better prepared.
The Romanians had made attempts to fortify Bucharest, but their efforts were nowhere near sufficient: what they needed was more troops.
The last victory in Romania was in Huedin, where the Alpinisti were forced to acknowledge that our Gebirgers were superior (though an independent observer would attribute a lot of the credit to the Luftwaffe). Friedrich-Willich put his losses at 105 men, and estimates the Romanians lost 311 men.
At last some positive news from Spain: preparations for the assault on Madrid are underway with two night attacks. Rommel stresses that these are early days and that he will not set a date for the major attack. But General de Angelis has been ordered to capture the province of Alcala de Henares to the east of the capital. This should not take him long as de Lazama has only the 6,000 men of the Autoametralladoras-Cañon to hold off the 9,000 motorised infantry and supporting armoured car regiment of 16.infanterie (mot). Normally the thought of infantry attacking armour would give rise to some anxiety, but the Autoametralladoras now have a reputation for fleeing as soon as they take casualties, so de Angelis will be aggressive from the start.
Battle of Alcala de Henares
The most dangerous assignment has been given to Keppler’s 1st leichte Panzer division. They are to probe the outer defences of Madrid to identify the troops garrisoning the city and the location of strong points. It is essential that they convince General Dempsey (the British have taken control of all units in the city) that this is a real attack so that his men reveal themselves – we will take losses. Rommel’s hope is that the light armour will not suffer as many casualties as would a purely infantry attack. Early information shows that the combined British-Spanish force is close to 26,000 men. (Perhaps Rommel should talk to General Brand about his experiences in the streets of Bucuresti).
Battle of Madrid
First thing Wednesday I saw that the reputation of the Autoametrolladoras has been maintained: at midnight after having suffered 8 casualties (and inflicting one) they headed south, leaving Alcalala de Henares to 16.Infanterie (mot). Also during the night, Keppler called his lead units back from the outer suburbs of Madrid. We now know we are facing two British infantry divisions (one an Indian unit) plus a Spanish militia division. A Spanish cavalry regiment has also been identified. 1st leichte lost several vehicles and 19 men, but we did capture four enemy soldiers.
British soldiers on the outskirts of Madrid have shown that the Boys anti-tank rifle is quite capable of destroying our light tanks
On the technical front, progress is swifter. Reliability tests for the Panzer IIJ have been successful finalised, and the improved model is now to be the standard medium tank for the Heer. The testing grounds have been taken over by members of the “schwere Panzer Projekt” who are already at a stage where some components can be performance rated.
The big news is Berlin has been made into a public spectacle. Announcements started early in the morning (on all radio stations as every government building and most of the big private firms in the city). With most of the other staff of the Reichskanzlei, just before 9AM Gisela and I were outside in the Wilhlemstraße. The street was packed, as was apparently every other major road in the city and in many of the suburbs women and school children were lined up. (I will bet every schoolchild is grateful to Minister Göring for exerting his influence on the Education Minister to give the schools a half day break). Everyone was looking to the west, and within minutes there were shouts and cries audible. Scores of immense aircraft appeared, flying low enough that we could see the pilots and crew waving. These were the Junkers 89 bombers of KG 27 “Boelcke”, the first geschwader of 1st Langstrecken-Großbomber-Fliegerkorps. Like everyone else there was a lump in my throat as the roar of engines seemed to go on for hours, with formation after formation passed overhead. In reality it was probably all over in five minutes, but there was a buzz in the Kanzlei that lasted most of the morning. Some of it was a sort of vengeful joy (“At last we can repay the bombing of Dortmund”) but mostly it was a euphoric feeling that a country able to create such a weapon must be unbeatable. Any doubts about the progress of the war were dispelled, and I would not be surprised to find that the wily Goebbels had put the idea for this into Göring’s mind. It would have been subtle, and the fairly gullible Minister for Aviation probably thought it was his own idea, but I am also sure that Goebbels made sure the Führer knew the originator of the idea.
A Ju 89 flies over Berlin to the cheers of hundreds of thousands of spectators
Back at work, I saw that the official documents for the formation of the new unit were actually sitting on my desk, well down in the pile of papers to be processed. Its commander is to be Generalleutnant Fröhlich, an experienced Luftwaffe officer who has concentrated on saturation bombing techniques. Both he and many other Luftwaffe officers pushed hard for Junkers to be awarded a contract for another hundred bombers, but with many factories already devoted to the production of interceptors, fighters and tactical bombers (both as replacements for existing units and brand new geschwader) there was no way that Göring could convince his Cabinet colleagues to approve the immense investment that these bombers represent. There is another geschwader under construction: that will be all for the Luftwaffe for now.
As an indication of the cost, freed up resources are to be used to equip a motorised division (three motorised infantry brigades and a Sturmpanzer 38(t) “Grille” self-propelled artillery regiment) and a Gebirger division of three brigades and a Pioniere regiment. There was even enough capacity remaining to increase the rate of upgrading existing equipment. To offset the Luftwaffe’s disappointment, lessons learnt during the production of “Boelke” have been used by Junkers to not only bring forward the completion date of the as yet unnamed KG 28 geschwader, but will also cut production costs on a daily basis.
The “Grille”: ugly but its 15cm schwereInfanteriegeschütz 33 is very effective
Now it was Rommel’s turn to spur his generals. 1st Panzer was first into action, across the Guardiana and into Honrubia. The river crossing was barely opposed, with General Mije’s Commandancia de Baleares unable to prevent pontoons being rapidly assembled and installed. With a two to one advantage in numbers and facing no weapons capable of destroying his Panzer IIIs, General Nehring should have no problems in meeting Rommel’s timetable.
Battle of Honrubia
Nehring’s task has been made even easier by the decision to also attack General Batov in the adjacent province of Tarazona de la Mancha. Reduced to just 6,000 men, 6/3a División Orgánica is up against two full divisions, 30.Infanterie attacking from Cuenca and 4th Gebrigsjäger from Sinarcas. When you also take into account that the operation is controlled by General Kreß von Kressenstein, a swift victory is assured.
Battle of Tarazona de la Mancha
Unfortunately this good news of progress in Spain was immediately countered by alarming news from General Blaskowitz in Ávila. Resting 29.Infanterie (mot) in preparation for the coming assault in Madrid, he has been attacked by the two British units in that city identified by Keppler’s probe. Caught offguard, Blaskowitz is calling for assistance, as he believes that the British have committed nearly 20, 000 men to the attack. It looks as though General Dempsey believes that “attack is the best form of defence”.
Battle of Ávila
Regardless of the local problems in Ávila, Rommel’s grand plan continues, with General von Manstein intent on making sure that the Autoametralladoras are chased well away from Madrid. The Spanish armoured unit had retreated into Tarancón, and 3rd leichte has already crossed from Villabilla in hot pursuit. De Lazana has handed over command to Ascenso Tornado, whose 2nd Corps headquarters was based in Tarancón. The addition of a few thousand orderlies and clerks did not stiffen the resolve of the less than reliable Autometralladoras, and the armoured vehicles simply drove off at the sight of our panzers. To give them their due, the headquarters troops fought hard, but it was hopeless, and cost them 149 dead. Von Manstein’s advance was barely slowed, and his division lost only 8 men.
Battle of Tarancón
If Rommel’s plan is continuing, then Guderian’s is leaping ahead. In quick succession he reported the capture of both Carei and Sibiu. Dietrich must have decided that he would force the issue in the woods of Carei, as his casualties were quite high (118) but 2nd Panzer Division has convinced Ionascu that his position was untenable. If Dietrich is using his tanks to clear paths through the forest, regardless of the cost, then I suppose that Divizie 6 Infanterie had the simple choice of either staying and being crushed or retreating. As they had already lost 345 men, it would not have been a difficult decision. Sibiu was more straightforward: General Bieß, assisted by Höpner’s 4th leichte, has doggedly forced his way along the valleys and mountain roads, forcing Codreanu to keep pulling back his front. Finally, after losing 740 men, Divizie 19 Infanterie had had enough and abandoned its attempt to move east, and is instead retreating north.
Although the Romanians are not prepared for modern warfare, they do have a few anti-tank weapons. Lack of motorised transport, however, renders them less effective. Here soldiers manhandle a Bofors 37mm gun into a clearing somewhere in Carei. 2nd Panzer lost several tanks to similar weapons.
The last battle of the day began quite late, about 7PM, but it was still fairly light at this time of year. General von Bock used the twilight to send 16.Infanterie into Margau, a hilly area held by Divizie 9 Infanterie. Our intelligence indicates that this unit is still at reduced strength from fighting and bombing, and should not last long. (Mention of 16.Infanterie reminded me: I must ask Gisela if she has heard from her half-brother, Kurt).
Battle of Margau
Thursday was a momentous day, and it was clear from the start that it signalled the collapse of the Romanian Army. Just after I arrived at work the Balkans Army telegraphed that Cluj had been captured, with Haase routing the headquarters of the Alpinisti. 300 enemy soldiers were killed as 26.Infanterie stormed the fourth largest city in Romania. It was a demoralising loss for the Romanians, who had reinforced the city with nearly 20,000 additional troops, but to no avail. Within minutes we heard that Margau had also been evacuated, General Glogojanu simply ordering his men to abandon their positions and make their escape as best they could.
There was a brief confrontation as Köstring entered Odorheiu Secuiesc, but it was over in an hour or so, with only one casualty to 13.Infanterie (mot). The Romanians lost 49 men and then simply melted away.
Battle of Odorheiu Secuiesc
After that there was a flurry of messages from Guderians’s headquarters, both telegraphs and coded radio messages. Our Embassies in several European countries also sent word of contacts from Romanian diplomats and it was clear that something was in the air. I found various reasons to linger at the Kanzlei and it was just before midnight that the public announcement was made. The Romanian Field Marshal Antonescu has ordered the Army to ceasefire and individual units to surrender to the nearest German forces. Unternehmen Bohrturm is over. Unfortunately King Michael and most of his Ministers fled the country, leaving Constanta on a British warship, headed for London. The King has announced that although the Army has been forced to lay down its arms, the government will not surrender. Technically we are still at war, but no-one here cares: the reality is that the fighting is over and Romania (and the all important oil) is ours.
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Bucuresti: Müller-Michels with 5th and 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 231, 317, 353, 111
Titu: Schwartzkopff with 2nd and 4th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 236, 278, 342, 170
Huedin: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 153, 170
Cluj: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 80, 228, 170, 90, 180, 153Huedin: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 264, 274Sibiu: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 220, 234, 302, 135
Bucuresti: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 180, 195Titu: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf109E, 2 x Ju 88): 233, 255Sibiu: Schwartzkopff with 2nd and 5th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 320
Madrid: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 185, 255, 216Carei: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 200
Cluj: Kitzonger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 305
Margau: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 204Odorheiu Securiesc: Müller-Michels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 246
Odorheiu Securiesc: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 169
RAF
Alcobendas: Baldwin with Middle East Group: 80, 136, 80
Segovia: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical Groups: 110, 110, 141
Priego: Baldwin with Middle East Group: 50, 83, 80
Ávila: Dowding with 5th and 1st RAF Tactical Groups: 205, 184, 218
Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
Ávila: Ludlow-Hewitt with 4th Carrier Air Group: 38
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Gibraltar Approaches: 1 transport (Greek): Athina – San José: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Coast of Carveiro: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Diego Garcia: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Agadir Canyon: 1 transport (Rumanian): Constanta – Montevideo: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Setubal Bay: 2 transports (UK): Bombay – Dover: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Western English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Dubai: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Iberian Plain: 2 transports and 1 escort (UK): Bombay – Dover: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Horseshoe Seamount: 1 transport (Greek): Athina – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Channel Approach: 1 transport (UK): Portsmouth – Mauritius: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Eastern Biscay Plain: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Fiji: Dönitz with 2nd U-flotte
Western Biscay Plain: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Grand Bahama: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Eastern English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Nicobar Islands: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
The weekly diplomatic package from Tokyo arrived, as well as with the normal military reports. The map showing the supply situation in northern China shows that all Imperial Japanese Army units are now sure of food and ammunition, as well as any fuel required. It is not coincidental that the map also shows strong Japanese forces moving to the Yellow River, hopefully in preparation for a major assault south and east along the coast.
North-east China at end of 21st June 1940
Indo-China is also looking more promising, following the arrival of fresh troops in Saigon. The 9th Navy is now steaming back to Japan, where more divisions are waiting. Will Tsuda now have enough men to counter-attack?
Indo-China at end of 21st June
Unternehmen Bohrturm: we have struck oil. Romania is under our control, and a collaboration government has been installed
Unternehmen Stierkampf: Madrid is the next target
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Romania has a quite strange form.
Ugly, I daresay!
The Romanians may disagree (though it has a different shape since the end of WW2). In any case, as you can see from the above, it doesn't matter any more.
Exhaustive writing Uriah, if you start writing much more the war will go in real time tempo
I am hoping to speed up now fighting on only one front. I am aware of the "real time" wriuting, but after the World Series I hope to speed up. (Though I am playing in an Advanced Squad Leader Tournament all this coming weekend - now there is a game for people who like detail!).
Thanks Karaiskandar. I'm trying to cut length and number of screenshots, while retaining detail. The campaigns of my allies seemed an obvious place to start.
Well, not that one. The statue in the Lustgarten was of Wilhelm III of Prussia, who was in power at the time of Napoleon.
And the AI is ignoring Barcelona. I intend to create a new army to clear up the north-east of Spain: it will probably be in the update after next (I am now 3 days ahead I think).